alexander



constitute my clasp.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIGE.

CHAS. L. ALEXANDER, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF' COLUMBIA.

PAPER-FASTENER.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 58,365, dated October f2, 1866.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, CHARLES L. ALEXAN- DER, of the city of Washington, in the District of Columbia, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Clasps for Uniting Several Sheets of Paper to Each Other, and for analogous purposes; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which Figure l represents the metal plateswhich Fig. 2 represents them inserted in an incision in the paper. Fig. 3 represents them as clasping the paper. Figs. 4 and 5 representmodifications of my device.

The object of my invention is to produce a device for securing several sheets of paper together, and for analogous uses, that shall be cheap in its construction, easy of application, and efficient when applied touse, and it consists simply in passing either one or two oblong plates through the paper with the edge or edges toward the edges of the paper, and then turning down the ends on each side of the paper in such manner as to take a firm hold thereof; or the plates may previously be bent at right angles.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and apply to use the subject of my invention, I shall proceed to give aparticnlar description thereof.

When two metallic plates are used, which is my preferred form, they will usually be from one to two inches in length, and from an eighth to afourth of an inch in width; but these proportions, and the thickness and the kind and quality of the metal of which they are to be made, will always be determinable by the particular use to which they are to be applied.

Vhen desired to secure a thick volume of paper, these clasps may be prolonged and secured, by eyelets or other auxiliary means, in one or several positions. They may be cut out from the large sheets of metal by any of the means known in manufactures from sheet metal 5 but for obvious reasons I prefer striking them out by means of dies. They may be formed tapering to points at one or both ends, to facilitate their passage through the paper, which need not necessarily be previously incised Vfor their reception, though I prefer to have it so incised without the removal of any portion of the material, in order vthat the clasps may be held in position by the resistance of the paper.

In the act of stamping out these plates, projections or a roughened surface maybe produced upon the parts that are to press against the paper, in order to cause it to adplates are passed through it, their edges to- Ward the edge of the paper, and when midway of their length each plate is pressed outward and down upon the Vpaper bly the hand or by any appropriate instrumen t, as oth er clasps are pressed. 4

Previous to entering these plates into the incision they may be connected together by an elastic band or other attachment 5 or only one plate may be used.

In the proposed modification of this invention but one plate is used, and it may be split from each end nearly to its center,` and the parts thus bisected maybe turned down in opposite directions.

It is obvious that several of these clasps may be applied in line upon a single document or combination of sheets, and that by extending the length of the clasp and having holes or slots formed therein, eyelets, small clasps, or other attachments may be applied in the usual modes to bind this cla-sp and the paper together. i

A pair of incising, pressing, piercing, and eyeleting forceps, the incisor adjustable in length, designed for persons having frequent or constant use for these clasps, will form the subject of an application for another patent.

Having thus described my invention, what `I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Pat- A clasp constructedl substantially as described, whether of two plates or of one plate, so that the attachment is made by the passage of the plate or plates through an incision, and the turning down of the plate or plates upon the surface of the paper or other material.

In witness whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name this 24th day of August,

CHAS. L. ALEXANDER. Witnesses:

Trios. MORRISON, E. H. TEoMPsoN. 

